She Is Love
by Blake0Tyler
Summary: This is how it goes; he's twelve years old and uncontrollably in love. JONAS/JONAS LA. Joe/Stella. One-Shot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS, Parachute or Steve Moakler.**

"_They call her love, love, love, love, love…" – She is love – Parachute _

I.

This is how it goes:

He's twelve years old and uncontrollably in love.

He's also sort of in denial and he's feeling insecure about it because all the other twelve year old boys say girls are stupid and he doesn't even want to be in love and she's his best friend after all, so frankly he doesn't like it _a bit_. But unfortunately, there's nothing he can do about it.

'Cause when Stella Malone narrows her eyes at him, when he dares her to jump into the lake or angrily mutters "Joey, just shut up about it" or threatens to push _him_ in the lake if he doesn't stop irritating her, like she did a few minutes ago – he just can't help it… He's in love.

"I won't do it."

He rolls his eyes and sighs. "Oh, come on, Stella, why not?"

She bites her lip and fumbles nervously with her hair and he smirks because it proves indeed that she's just scared, like he already figured. She glares at him when she notices his smirk and immediately snaps: "Because. It's dangerous. And if you want to do it so badly, why don't _you _just do it, then?"

It's the first day of summer, they're standing on a long landing stage in the lake and for the last fifteen minutes he has been trying to convince her to just run and jump off, but she doesn't want to do it. He _has_ to convince her though, because he doesn't want to do it alone.

"It's not dangerous," he says. "And besides – you said you wanted to do something exiting!"

She scoffs. "Well, I thought swimming in the lake _was_ pretty exiting. And if you hadn't noticed, the water was freezing. I don't want to go in it again, let alone _jump _in it."

He smirks. "You're just scared."

She looks like she wants to hit him straight in his face and for some reason he kind of enjoys their conversation and the fact that he can make her sort of mad, without _actually _having a fight. It's like a whole new level to their friendship.

"I'm not scared," Stella mutters. "Maybe you're scared!"

He raises one eyebrow. "It's just water, Stells."

She sighs and she doesn't answer straight away. But then she looks up and finally sort of admits what he's been trying to get out of her the entire time. "I know… But still."

He looks at her and her eyes sparkle in the sunlight and he suddenly realises that he might be standing a little bit too close to her, because he can slightly smell her coconut shampoo and it's making him dizzy, so he quickly steps back.

"Uhm – so…" He's mumbling and he coughs to cover it up. "So – uh – are we gonna do this?"

"No."

"But you just said – "

"Maybe if you ask me nicely."

He sighs, because now she's slyly smiling back at him and he knows where this is going. She isn't his best friend for no reason. She's going to make him beg until he's practically lying at her feet…

"Ok. Fine. Will you please jump into the lake with me?"

She laughs. "Is that all you can come up with? I thought you knew me better, Joey."

He smiles because she's smiling too and she's using his nickname and they're here together, without the stupid boys in his class and the sun shines above them and for him it feels like summer really just began. "Fine. But be aware of what you're getting yourself into…"

And before she can say anything, he drops down on his knees, grabs her hands in his and bends his head.

"Please, please, please, dear Majesty, Queen of the Universe, the almighty Stella Malone. Will you grant me the wonderful gift of your company, while I jump off of this landing stage in order to officialy celebrate the beginning of summer, I beg you. Only if you join me, I will be happy for the rest of my life."

She laughs and the sound fills up his entire mind, his thoughts get clouded and he can't concentrate anymore. And he's thinking – maybe he'll write a song about this moment later.

Because he wants to be able to remember it for the rest of his life.

She squeezes his hands and he looks up, waiting for her to say something, but when she doesn't he decides to break the silence. "Well, will you do it?"

She pulls him up, so that they're standing in front of each other again and then she playfully pushes him backwards. "Fine. But only because it'll make you happy. Not because I want to. And if I get the flu afterwards, I'll blame you."

He doesn't let go of her hand (and he knows that he's probably blushing, but he doesn't care and pretends that his heart isn't beating out of his chest). Instead he pulls her after him, until they're standing at the beginning of the landing stage with about sixty feet to run, before they'll reach the water. He looks at her.

"Are you ready then?"

She smiles. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Ok. Well, here we go." He takes a deep breath. "Let's officially celebrate the summer. One… two – "

She starts running, before he even has the chance to say 'three', and because he didn't expect it, she kind of catches him off guard. But then his feet realise they're running and he starts to speed up, laughing out loud, trying to go faster. The water comes closer and closer and the wood of the landing stage feels good underneath his bare feet and suddenly he's flying through the air.

The water surface breaks.

And the next thing he knows is that he's surrounded by icy cold water and he's no longer flying. The water pulls his body down and because it's _so so _cold it takes him a minute to realise he has to swim. But then his legs start to move and someone jerks his hand upwards and he gets out of the water, shaking his hair and breathing heavily.

He opens his eyes and Stella is swimming right next to him and she's smiling and there's this wave of joy going through is body, because now he actually realises that he made her do this, and _thank God_ she didn't regret it.

He takes a deep breath. "That was… great!"

And then he screams, because it's summer and they feel like they're the only ones in the world, so she screams along with him. And when they calm down he looks at her.

"Why didn't you wait until I said 'three'?"

She shrugs and smiles. "Why wait?"

And then she hits him playfully and pushes him under water and before they know it they are having this huge water fight and he can't help but feel it again. That light and fluttering feeling in his stomach, whenever she looks at him. And even if he doesn't want it, even if girls are supposed to be stupid – He really can't help it.

He's in love.

II.

This is how it goes:

He's thirteen years old and uncontrollably in love.

He's also sort of in denial and he's feeling insecure about it, because his voice tends to break sometimes and his body is kind of changing and his brothers tease him about it (although Nicky really shouldn't talk because he's still a baby…). But unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it.

'Cause when Stella Malone looks at him, while they're lying on a trampoline in her grandparents' backyard and she talks to him about her dreams and he's slightly getting the feeling that she's never told anyone before – he just can't help it… He's in love.

"Joey?"

"Yeah."

"Do you really want to be a musician when you grow up?"

He turns his head to look at her, but she keeps on looking at the evening sky like she didn't even say something in the first place. He frowns. "Yes, of course. I thought you knew that."

She bites her lip. "I know. I meant – do you really, really want it? Like, is it your biggest wish in the world?"

When she asks that question, he suddenly becomes aware of the fact that they're lying really close to each other, so close that he only has to move his hand an inch to feels hers. He blushes at the thought and for a second he really just want to look at her and tell her the honest answer to her question; "Second biggest wish in the world…" – hoping she'd get what he meant by that – but he doesn't.

Instead he thinks about it for a second, deciding a lie wouldn't really hurt. "Yes. It's my biggest wish in the world… Why do ask that?"

She sighs. "Because… I wonder what I'll do."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, when you're a rockstar. Where will I be? What will I do?"

And now she looks at him and he can count the light summer freckles on her nose and their breathe mingles. "What do you want to do?"

She smiles and quickly looks away, as if she's ashamed. "Oh – you wouldn't want to know…"

"Of course I want to know!" he says and nudges her shoulder. "Come on, tell me. What's your biggest wish?"

For a moment it's quiet and then she mumbles something inintelligible.

He narrows his eyes. "What did you just say?"

"I want to be a..."

He looks at her. "Come on, tell me."

She gives up. "Fine. I want to be a fashion designer. You can laugh now. I know it's stupid."

But he doesn't laugh. He doesn't laugh at all. Instead he sits straight up – his back slightly bouncing on the trampoline – so he can look at her. "It's not stupid! Stella, that's great! You could be our stylist! You could make sure that Kevin and Nick and I look really great for our performances!"

She smiles and gets up herself. "Really? You don't think it's stupid?"

He laughs. "I think it's fanstastic! That way we can always be friends! For the rest of our lives!"

"You know, I think we'll be friends no matter what. Even if I don't become your stylist."

She looks at him and her face is close and his heart starts speeding up and his palms become slightly sweaty for some reason and all he can look at are her lips. She smiles and then leans over, coming closer. His breath cathes up in his throat and he closes his eyes, because he simply has no idea what to expect. It's when he feels her soft lips on his cheek, he dares to open them again and when she kisses him softly just above his jaw he's smiling and smiling and smiling and it's probably the best thing that happened to him in the whole weekend.

She blushes and tries to avoid his eyes, but eventually looks over again.

"Joe?"

"Yeah."

"I think you are going to be the best musician in the world someday."

For a moment he's silent and then he bites his lip and before he really knows what he's doing, he bends over and kisses her back on her cheek. It's quicker and even more awkward than when she kissed him, but he doesn't care because she just told him that he's going to be the best musician in the world and it's the greatest thing someone ever said to him.

"Stella?"

"Yeah."

He thinks for a second, changing his thoughts the last moment, before he's brave enough to speak them out loud. "I think you are going to _change_ the world someday."

The smile she gives him makes him feel like he can fly.

III.

This is how it goes:

He's fourteen years old and uncontrollalby in love.

He's also sort of in denial and he's feeling insecure about it, because he has a girlfriend named Jenna and she's beautiful and she kissed him after they went to the movies last week and he writes all these pretty songs about her, trying to convince himself that _she_'s the one he loves. But unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it.

'Cause when Stella Malone is walking right next to him through the forest, because they lost their classmates during the annual school trip, and she's mad and irritated, looking prettier than ever and is maybe (hopefully) a littly bit jealous – he just can't help it… He's in love.

"Stella, wait up!"

She doesn't listen. Instead she just keeps walking, angrily pushing branches aside, pretending he's not even there.

"Stella! Calm down, you're gonna hurt yourself!"

He tries to grab her arm but she pushes him away and he doesn't know _why_. What the hell did he do wrong? Why on earth is she practically _running _away from him?

"Stella…"

He doesn't even know how they got lost. He doesn't understand any of it. One minute he's still walking next to Jenna, while Mr. Parkinson is telling 'interesting' things about the different trees, and then suddenly Stella comes up from out of nowhere and they talk about nothing special and he stops to tie his shoelaces and when he gets back she's completely freaking out. And before they knew it the rest of the group was gone. So now they're lost. And alone. In a forest. Joy.

"Stella, what did I do wrong?"

She ignores him again and he has had enough of it. With all the force he has he grabs her arm for the second time and pulls her back, quickly walking forward, so that she is standing in front of him.

"Stella!"

"Joe, shut _up_! Just – shut up, ok?"

Her voice is high and she pushes him against his chest and turns her head away, to make sure he doesn't see her eyes, but the damage has already been done. It feels like someone hits him straight in the stomach.

She's crying.

And it's because of him.

"Stella…" He doesn't know what to do. "Stella… I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

She bites her lip. "Oh, I don't know. Why don't you go ask your _girlfriend_."

Now he's confused. His girlfriend? What does Jenna have to do with it? "I don't get it…"

She glares at him. "No. Of course you don't."

And then it suddenly it hit's him. "Are you jealous?"

Her jaw drops and she scoffs. "Jealous? _Jealous_? Don't flatter yourself. Why on _eath _would I be jealous?"

"Well," he answers ittitated. "You got pretty angry a few minutes ago when I told you we were dating."

She rolls her eyes. "That's because Jenna's a stupid cow. I don't care who you date, but you probably want to choose someone _human _next time!"

Her lip is shaking and though her answer is pretty clear, for some reason he gets the feeling that there's something else going on. "Wait. Did Jenna say something to you?"

She hesitates. "N-no. And if she did, I wouldn't tell you anyway."

And she plays it perfectly. Her eyes are angry and her lips form a straight line and he almost, _almost _believes her. But there's some sort of quiver in her voice and her eyes look away, as if she's hiding something and for a second he thinks back to a summer evening last year, when they were lying on a trampoline and she told him he could be the best musician in the world… Jenna doesn't even know he likes to sing.

They're both silent.

And then suddenly Stella frowns, while a slight blush appears on her cheeks, changing the subject instantly. "You got taller…"

She sounds surprised and he smiles, because it's true. He's grown over the summer and they're no longer the same height, like before. And then, before he realises what he's thinking he has already spoken his thoughts out loud.

"Well, you got prettier."

_Stupid._

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

That was probably the _stupidest_ thing he ever said to anyone. _You got prettier…_ Who says that to their best friend? Not that it isn't true of course… but still.

Stella slightly smiles and because she's smiling he steps forward and slowly uses his thump to wipe away some of the mascara under her eyes. And there they are again, standing together in a forest, without any clue of where to go, and he has a girlfriend and she might be a bit jealous and they just had a conversation that didn't make any sense, but it doesn't matter, 'cause they're Joe and Stella and that means something and he'll remember it for the rest of his life.

"I thought you liked Jenna."

He blushes and laughs and he suddenly feels nervous, because they are after all _alone _and he sort of enjoys it.

"I thought you didn't care."

And when she smiles back at him, softly mumbling something about 'getting back to the others' and brushing off his comment like it didn't mean anything more than it should, he really can't help it – for one moment he wishes it was her instead of Jenna.

And maybe, in some sort of subconcious way, he was _trying _to make her jealous.

But just don't tell her, ok?

IV.

This is how it goes:

He's fifteen years old and uncontrollably in love.

He's also sort of in denial and he's feeling insecure about it because school dances aren't really his thing and he wonders if the shirt he's wearing doesn't look stupid on him and he's worried because he hasn't seen her all night and he isn't even sure she's around. But unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it.

'Cause when Stella Malone mentioned the words 'school dance' and 'Toby Grant' to one of her friends last week, there was this silent _pang _inside his chest and although he has been trying to deny it the whole week, trying to convince himself that he doesn't feel anything for her and that she can date whoever she wants – He just can't help it… He's in love.

"What are you _doing_ here?"

He's so caught up in his own thoughts, that it takes him a minute or two and an annoying wave in front of his face, to realise that the voice next to him belongs to his younger brother.

He looks up. "Huh?"

Nick smiles. "I said – what are you doing here? Why aren't you dancing like everybody else?"

He sighs and he shrugs and he tries to think of a way to get out of this conversation because he really doesn't want to talk to his brother about what's on his mind right now, but unfortunately Nick already knows…

"This is about Stella, isn't it?"

He scoffs. "No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not. It's not always about her!"

"Yes, it is. It is always about her."

He sighs, raising his eyebrow. "Do you really want to do this?"

Nick grins. "Well, it would be a lot easier if you just admitted you like her."

He glares at his brother and he really really _hates_ it that Nick always has to be so… - so… _annoying_ about everything. Why doesn't he mind his own business? Exhaling loudly, he looks around. There are girls wearing dresses and giggling and whispering things in each other's ears, and it seriously looks like a great party – except that _she_'s not with them.

"Joe?"

He doesn't feel like answering, so Nick pushes him against his shoulder to get his attention. Irritated he shoves him away. "What?"

"I don't get it." Nick frowns. "Joe, you've had a crush on Stella since you were four years old!"

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have."

He turns around. "Nick, I don't wanna talk to you about it, ok? Just, leave me alone. Go hang out with your friends or something."

Nick mumbles something, but he doesn't try to hear it properly. Instead he looks around, hoping to see that weird friend of hers… Missy or Maddie or something. Maybe she'll know where Stella is and whyshe has been gone all night and _why _she didn't tell him where she would be…

"Joe?"

He's looking out for Toby Grant as well – hoping, _begging _that the two of them aren't gone together, like he silently suspects… That kid is just no good. He might be a senior and captain of the football team and able to pull of this really cool hairdo (which he's secretely sort of jealous of) but he's still a jerk…

"Joe!"

He turns around. "Nick, I don't care! I don't want to hear any of it, ok?"

"_Joe_!"

"_What_?"

Nick bites his lip and points. "There she is…"

His breath catches in his throat and his hands start to sweat and suddenly he's feeling very, very nervous. Slowly he turns around, looking through the crowd of dancing people. It first he doesn't see her, and he panicks for a second, but then his eyes catch a blonde flash of hair – and there she is. Standing next to the entrance, dressed in the most beautiful black dress he's ever seen, clutching her purse against her stomach and looking around for someone she recognizes.

He starts walking towards her but while he moves across the hall, pushing people aside and making his way trhough cliques of giggling girls – he suddenly notices.

There's something wrong with the way she appears. It's the way she's clutching on to her purse, the way her chest rises and falls, like she just ran a marathon. It's the way her hair is a tangled mess around her shoulders, the way her mascara is slowly dripping down her cheeks.

He stops as it suddenly hits him.

She's crying.

_Fuck. _

He starts running, angrily pushing some guy off of him, who mumbles "Slow down, will you?" and scoffs. He almost trips, but he doesn't care and keeps going.

A second later he's standing in front of her.

"Stella! What's wrong?"

She looks up and starts crying even more. "Joe… I – I feel so stupid."

He doesn't hesitate, not even for a second, before putting his arms around her and pulling her to his chest. She's shaking. And he's never felt more worried in his entire life.

"Stells, what happened? Why are you crying?"

She mumbles something he can't catch before breaking out in more sobs. He strokes her hair and decides to calm her down first. Biting his lip, whispering comforting words into her ear, he wonders who on earth did this to her…

After a moment he pushes her slowly back to look her in her eyes. "Stella… You need to tell me what happened. I've been worried sick all night."

She sighs. "It's Toby."

His body stiffens and his eyes widen. "Toby _Grant_?"

She nods. "He – we were… We met up in the beginning of the evening and… Well, we were having fun… And I thought he liked me, so – " Her voice cracks, but he waits for her to continue, because he honestely has no idea what to say… "So, he asked me to come with him to the back of the building, behind the football field, because… he wanted to show me something, he said. But he was drunk. And he started… - he started…"

She swallows.

And he can't take it anymore. "Did he… try to touch you?"

She looks at him and her blue eyes are wet with tears and when she slowly nods, anger is exploding in his chest like a bomb.

"_Where_ is he?"

She looks confused. "I – I don't know… Outside, with his friends, I guess… What are you doing? _Joe, what are you doing_?"

He's walking away from her, out of the building. Hate is burning through his veins. His fists are clenched and his breath is uneven and he has never felt so much anger and hate and the need to destory something in his entire life. People around him move away and he's looking around, his jaw clenched and it seems like all rationalitly in his mind is gone.

Toby Grant doesn't see him coming, too busy laughing at something one of his stupid friends said. He moves forward, and before he realises what he's doing, he has reached him and pulls him backwards, turning to face the seventeen year old boy before punching him straight in his face.

There's a growl of pain, a scream somewhere next to him and one second later Toby Grant turns around, curses and punches him back in the stomach.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

There's a wave of pain going through his entire body, but one glance back at Stella's crying face and he's already standing up again. Anger rushes through his body once again and he moves forward for the second time, this time throwing his weight on Grant and pushing him back on the ground.

He punches and punches and he might be three years younger and an entire foot shorter than his target – Grant isn't able to get him off, neither are his stupid friends.

It isn't until one of the teachers comes up to him and turns one of his arms on his back to get him off, before he finally lets go.

He spits in front of him, while the teacher drags him away. Blood.

He looks up at Grant, who's being escorted by another teacher and his eyes are burning with hate.

"If you ever, _ever_ touch her again, I'll punch you right into the hospital!"

There's a short moment of silence and then Grant starts screaming things he doesn't even want to understand.

He turns away and follows the teacher into some office. And he has to answer questions about why he did it and about what was going on and they call his parents but eventually he can go home and mom and dad are on their way to pick him up, but they have to talk to the teacher first. So when he stands up to get his jacket, he suddenly notices her.

She's standing at the end of the corridor and she looks at him with an expression he can't really figure out and when she starts walking up to him, he smiles.

"That felt _so_ good."

She scoffs but she's smiling and crying at the same time and she stops walking until she's standing right in front of him. And he can't explain it, but something just changed between them, right in the second he started walking up to Toby Grant.

Things just got a little bit more complicated.

"You know – " she starts, but she trails off because she doesn't know what to say or how to say it and neither does he.

So instead he does exactly what he has been waiting for the whole evening.

"Do you… wanna dance?"

Her eyes widen. "Dance? With you?"

He smiles nervously and he know he looks horrible because his shirt is ripped and his lip is bleeding and his hair is the most awful mess in the world – but he hopes she doesn't mind.

"Yeah. With me…"

She hesitates.

"Please?"

She blushes and she looks around to see if someone's watching them, but they're all alone and then suddenly she bites her lip and smiles. "Of course."

She steps forward, puts her arms around his neck and he pulls her against his chest all confidently, pretending he's not nervous at all. And they don't care about parents or boys like Toby Grant anymore, because this is all that matters – just the two of them, dancing in a hallway without music, while she has been crying and he looks weak and completely beaten up.

But when she presses her lips against his cheek and whispers "Thank you so much" in his ear, he feels like he's the strongest person in the world and he wouldn't want to have it any other way.

V.

This is how it goes.

He's sixteen years old and uncontrollably in love.

He's also sort of in denial and he's feeling insecure about it because he's still Joe Lucas and admitting he's in love is really something he doesn't like to do but even his brothers and his _mom and dad _must know by now that there is something going on, even though he tries to deny it. But unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it.

'Cause when Stella Malone is stitting next to him at the piano in his room and she's just so _damn _close that he can smell her perfume and he's feeling dizzy and there are hot shivers running up and down his arms and the sound of her laugh makes him stutter, so badly that he cannot say a word – He just can't help it… He's in love.

He's trying to focus. There's sheet music in front of him and his hands are on the piano keys but he can't play the chords like they were written. His breath is uneven and his thoughts are messed up and strangely it feels like he's falling and falling and falling.

She's laughing and glowing and her right hand is lightly brushing his forearm and he just can't _concentrate_ when she's so close.

She shoves his shoulder. "Come on, Joey, you can do better than that. I've heard you play that song a thousand times!"

And it's true. Of course she's absolutely right. He _can _do better. But not when she's sitting next to him, her curls falling over her bare shoulders, dressed in a distractingly beautiful summerdress, while her upperbody is practically pressing against his side and her foot is slightly brushing his leg and he just _knows _that she is doing it on purpose.

"I know. I'm sorry." He laughs. "I'll try harder."

But before he can do anything she grabs his hand and pulls his fingers away from the keys. He looks at her, confused.

Her smile grows wider. "Will you teach me? Please?"

He wants to tell her that he doesn't have much time because he has to go to the hair dresser's in half an hour, but she gives him _those eyes_ so of course he can't refuse, no matter what appointment he has.

He chuckles softly. "Ok, fine."

He starts telling her about the different sort of keys and he writes the notes out for her on the back of his sheetmusic but she doesn't really pay attention – wait, was she really just _staring _at him? – so he has to explain it twice. And when she tries playing the easy songs in one of the songbooks he found behind the piano, she's pretty bad at it but he doesn't care. Because once in a while she gets frusterated and asks him to help her and then he reaches out to cover her hands with his own to show her how it's supposed to sound and well… it sort of gives him that funny fluttering feeling in his stomach and he's slightly wondering if she's feeling the same.

"No," He laughs. "Stella, you have to play those at the same time, ok? It's a chord."

She sighs and shoves him in the ribs. "Oh, shut up. I'm trying. And besides - you didn't tell me playing piano was this hard…"

He laughs even louder. "What, you actually thought you could learn how to play in what… ten minutes?"

She narrows her eyes at him but he knows she's not really mad at him. "Well, superstar, if you're so great, why don't you show it then?"

"What do you mean 'show it'?"

She smiles and stands up, pointing at the piano. "Play me a song."

He frowns. "Are you serious? You already know everything! You've been to our concerts almost every time! You know I am a rockstar, right?" He flips his hair out his eyes and she rolls her eyes and playfully pushes him against his shoulder.

"Well, let me hear something new then. Something no one has ever heard before."

Oh.

Well – that changes things.

He grins nervously. "Really? Are you sure you want to hear that?"

She nods.

"I don't know, Stells… Those songs are pretty bad…"

"You're a rockstar, right?"

He looks up and there she is, the girl he's dangerously in love with, looking all perfect and pretty, while he's being a complete loser; biting his lip and rubbing his slightly sweaty palms on his jeans now, trying to make the nervous feeling in his chest go away.

She asked him to play her a song no one's _ever_ heard before. A private song.

He swallows.

But it's _Stella_. So of course, after a few more moments of silence, he gives in and lifts up his arms, letting his fingertips lightly touch the piano keys, before taking a deep breath and pushing his fingers down on the first chords.

Wrong.

He starts out with a song he didn't even want to play in the first place, and he's messing up pretty much everything, notes, chords, whatever… his hands are shaking a bit, but he reckons he'd better go along with it now, 'cause the sooner he's finishes the song, the sooner he can wave it all off as a stupid thing he wrote in ten minutes, instead of something he's been working on for a pretty long time now.

_The human heart is a scary part in fact._

'_Cause I could break you and you could break me back._

_And though my head says, "Just forget it,_

_You'll get hurt and you'll regret it."_

_Ask me now and I won't hesitate_

His is voice is soft, softer than usual, but now that he started singing, it goes better, mainly because the feeling's back. That typical feeling in his chest, whenever he listens to a great song for the first time, or when he's standing in front of a screaming bunch of girls, who are calling out his name like he's some sort of hero. Or like now for instance, because even when he's sitting at the piano in his bedroom, messing up pretty much every note, just because the prettiest girl in the world is right there listening to him, he knows he'll always love this… The feeling of music. Whether he's doing it right or not.

'_Cause I'm fearful of heights and you take me higher._

_What came with you was a view to admire_

_I've always been the kind to contemplate_

_But you like the kind that don't hesitate_

He doesn't pay that much attention to her anymore. He just plays and plays and gets completely caught up in his own words. It's like his fingers are moving faster than his thoughts now and he's playing automatically. He slightly notices that she steps a little bit closer to the piano, resting her hand on the side, but he chooses to ignore it. The song's almost over now, and he only has a few more words to say, before reality'll come crashing in.

His fingers have already started to slow down and he sings the last words so soft, that they're almost silent.

_Exuse me while I fall for you_

_Excuse me while I fall for you now_

His hands finish off the last couple of notes and than it's over. He sighs and silence takes over the room.

It takes him a few moments to look up, but when he does she's staring at him. Not just looking, but right on _staring_ and he's starting to regret every second of the last few minutes…

Why on earth did he have to play _that _song? Why? Why? Why?

She slowly moves forward, and then, before he knows it, she drops down next to him on the piano chair and sighs.

"Joe?"

"Yeah?"

He looks up and their eyes meet and for a second he forgets how to breathe.

She smiles. "I really like that song." Her face is mere inches from his own. "Actually, I really really really like that song…" He can feel her breath on his lips now and it's making him so dizzy, that he's barely able to respond.

"You do?" He manages to choke out.

She slightly moves forward, so that their noses are almost touching. And he knows exactly what they're doing, or at least what they are _about _to do, and he can tell she knows it two, but for some reason they're both too nervous to act like it, and the moment stuns, as if they're stuck in time.

He thinks _this is the only chance you'll get, you moron _and she's looking so, _so _pretty and he really is about to move now, really is about to throw their entire built-up friendship away, _should he do it now, should he really kiss her?_, when suddenly –

"Joseph?"

He jerks his head up and moves away so quickly that he almost falls.

His mother appears in the doorway, carrying piles of laundry, looking completely confused. "Aren't you supposed to be at the hair dresser's, honey? Oh, hi Stella! I didn't know you were here."

"I – I – I'm already leaving, Mrs. Jonas."

He watches her get up and stumble through the room, mumbling excuses, looking for her jacket like it's most importantthing in her _life_ – and he cannot say a word. His mother frowns and smiles at him and he turns away his gaze, because he's afraid she'll see him blushing.

"Bye Joe!"

"Bye Stella! See ya…"

And then she's gone. And he is way too late for his hair dresser's appointment. And they're just friends, even though he's secretly (ok, fine, _not _that secretly) in love with her.

But it's ok.

VI.

This is how it goes.

He's seventeen years old and uncontrollably in love.

He's also sort of in denial and he's feeling insecure about it because, really, he _thought _she liked him too, but apparently she doesn't because there's this guy named Van Dyke Tosh and they're just freakin' _perfect _together. But unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it.

'Cause when Stella Malone is standing right of him in a short red dress that screams 'just look at me!' and her blonde curls are a mess and she's yelling at him, because he and his stupid jealousy messed up _everything_ and he's feeling so, so sorry that he didn't tell her sooner– He just can't help it… He's in love.

This is going the wrong way. This is definitely going the wrong way. There's a pause, in which she looks at him like he's crazy and then he realises that he's almost, positively, _pretty _sure that he just messed up his words.

"_Gorgeous_?"

He scoffs. "What?"

"You said I was gorgeous!"

He narrows his eyes, but now his voice is going faster than his mind and he can't keep up anymore. Well, does it really matter anyway?

"I meant adorable! So adorable you make me sick!"

"Oh. I'm sorry. If I'm so sickningly adorably, then why did you come to the restaurant tonight?"

He thinks and thinks but his thoughts are a mess and he doesn't even know why he should even pretend he doesn't like her, so before he knows it, his lips have already formed the words he's been dying to say to her all night.

"Why did you go out with _Van Dyke_?"

"Because he asked me!" Heat is radiating between them now. "Isn't that how it works, Joe? A guy asks out a girl because he likes her?"

This is going the wrong way. But there is nothing he can do about it.

"What about a guy not asking out a girl because he likes her?" He turns to walk past her. "Huh? Have you ever thought about that?"

"What?"

Now she's confused. And even he doesn't now what he's saying anymore. All he knows is that she's standing right in front of him in a distractingly red dress and they're way too close to each other for a normal conversation.

"I don't wanna wreck everything you and me don't have together!"

"That makes absolutely no sense!"

Seriously, they're like, almost so close he can touch her. Her lips are red and her eyes sparkle and… wait, what were they talking about again?

"Yeah, well, sometimes things don't make sense!"

"Ok, well it – "

It doesn't matter. Nothing really matters anymore.

He steps forward and kisses her and that's pretty much it.

She gasps and it's not exactly perfect, not like he _imagined _it, but her lips are _so _hot against his own and, even though she's doing it absentmindedly, she's kissing him back, and that thought electrifies every single nerve in his body…

And then, when he dares to let go after a few seconds, his breath is caught up in his throat and he thinks his head is about to explode. And she looks at him and mumbles a few words he can't even understand anymore and walks out with a melon instead of her purse…

And there he is, lying on the kitchen floor, with only one single thought is racing through his mind…

Best. Day. Ever.

In the entire history of best days ever, this one is it.

The. Best. Day. _Ever._

VII.

This is how it goes.

He's eighteen years old and uncontrollably in love.

He's also sort of in denial and he's feeling insecure about it because he and Vanessa just broke up and he realises that this might be his only chance, to really, _really_ tell her how he feels and he doesn't want to do it, because he's actually afraid she might reject him. But unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it.

'Cause when Stella Malone is right in front of him, dancing in rain like there's nothing in the world that matters, pretending they are twelve years old again, only in a different setting, challenging him to join her – He just can't help it… He's in love.

"Oh, come _on_!"

"No, I'm not doing it!"

"Joe!"

He laughs out loud. "No, seriously, I won't do it!"

She runs forward and grabs his arm and tries to drag him forward, out of the house. Her clothes are soaked and her hair is already getting messy, but she's laughing like she hasn't had this much fun in a long, long time. "Joey…"

And this is exactly what it's supposed to feel like.

This is exactly the 'something' Vanessa was talking about, which the two of them never had together.

"Stella, why would I _voluntarily_ go out in the pouring rain."

She turns around and grabs his hand, still trying to make him move. "You're just scared."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not scared. Maybe you're scared!"

"It's just water, Joey…"

And _snap. _There it is.

In a second his vision changes and the next thing he sees is a little boy, standing on a landing stage, on hot summer day in June, trying, _begging _his best friend to go along with whatever he wants. And here they are now, having the _exact _same conversation as they did six years ago.

Stella smiles, probably knowing exactly what he's thinking about. She turns her gaze and gestures at the swimming pool, a sly smile slowly making its way through on her face. "You know – we should. Just to remember what it felt like."

His eyes widen. "You want to jump in the swimming pool?"

"Are you coming with me?"

He thinks about it for a second, but of course he already knows his answer. It's pretty obvious. "Well, I don't know. Maybe if you ask me nicely."

She pushes him against his shoulder. "Oh, please. Do I really have to?"

"If you want me to come with you…"

She scoffs, but she's smiling at the same time. "Fine."

And she drops down on her knees and bends her head. "Oh, please, Joseph Lucas, King of the Universe, would you please join me on this beautiful summer day – " He chuckles; the rain is getting more and more violent every second. " – and officialy celebrate the beginning of a new area, by jumping into this almighty swimming pool with me, oh, please?"

She looks up. He grins. "Well, those were not exactly my words, as I remember them, but fine, I'll let you get away with it, for this once."

She squeezes his hand and gets up. "You're an idiot. But, anyway, are you ready then?"

He smiles. "Yeah. I'm ready."

She smiles. "Here we go than. One… two – "

He starts running, his bare foot slipping on the grass, rain washing down into his face, Stella right next him, trying to keep up.

The swimming pool is way closer than expected and before he knows it, his feet already leave the ground and he's flying through the air.

It's just like he's twelve again.

The water surface breaks.

And when he comes up for air, Stella is swimming next to him and he feels the need to just scream out, because of the sudden rush of happiness through his body. "That was great!"

She smiles. "Hey, Joe, why didn't you wait until I said 'three'?"

He smiles back at her and shrugs. "Oh you know – why wait?"

And then suddenly he's absolutely sure that he is uncontrollably in love.

'Cause when Stella Malone starts kissing him right there in the swimming pool, with rain pouing out of the sky, the world stops turning and his brain stops thinking and her hands are in his hair and she's so close that he can feel her heart beat against his chest and frankly everything he ever wanted is right there in his arms.

He's hearing music in his head and he tries to think of a way to turn these feelings into lyrics, but all he can really think about is the way he felt when he was twelve years old and she almost pushed him in the lake. The way he felt every day being thirteen, fourteen… eventually going straight up to this moment.

And he just can't help it… He's in love.

Probably for the rest of his life.

**So, that was it. My very first story here. Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading! I hope it wasn't completely terrible. Also sorry for the mistakes! English is not my first language, but I'm trying to do my best at it! **

**Critisism and comments are always welcome of course =)**

**And one more thing; the song Joe was singing is not a song by any of the Jonas Brothers. It's actually a song by Steve Moakler, called 'Hesitate' and if you don't know it, you should check it out! **

**Thanks! Have a great day! =)**

**- Lauren**


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